83 books were read this year, although, as with the movie awards, that isn’t entirely true as I know I read at least one book (Ahem, the Art of Fielding Ahem, best book I read this year) twice. 83 books is a pretty good number. Not too many, not too few. You can read all of these reviews by clicking on the “Books” tag, or you can become my friend on Goodreads and find them that way.
Best book with no words on the page
The Disciples
James Mollison
Best holiday read aloud with your Significant Other
Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares
Cohn & Levithan
Best book set in Indianapolis, Indiana
and
Funniest cancer book I’ve ever read
The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
The “You’ve got 20 minutes? Read this, it’s wonderful” Award
What now?
Ann Patchett
Incredibly boring book I slogged my way through and then couldn’t stop thinking about
Private Life
Jane Smiley
Book that inspired movie that is pretty much a scene-by-scene reproduction of the book
also
Author name that I love because it’s simultaneously 1)Hawai’i native pride 2)kind of hippie 3)makes me think of Thomas Jefferson
The Descendants
Kaui Hart Hemmings
Book with so many fine details I could give it 12 awards but instead I’ll just tell you to read it, dammit
Why we broke up
Daniel Handler
Really awesome YA kick-ass female character who I needed to get to page 150 before I fell in love, but then boy did I!
also
The “reading reviews of this book on Goodreads makes me think people are really weird” award.
Graceling
Kristin Cashore
Cookbook where I love not only the food but also the author’s syntax
Make the Bread, Buy the Butter
Jennifer Reese
Best use of old-fashioned photos as narrative prompts
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Ransom Riggs
Most fabulous of the Anne of Green Gables books, especially if you can get the version edited by Lefbvre
Rilla of Ingleside
L.M. Montgomery
Best territorial Oregon story I’ve ever read
Trask
Don Berry
Hands down, the best book I read this year and perhaps so far this decade
and
Even if you don’t like baseball, you might want to read this
and
Excellent read aloud
and
How many awards do I have to give so you will read this book?
The Art of Fielding
Chad Harbach
Book about disaffected youth I almost gave up on because of attitude, but persevered and was rewarded by some rather amazing prose
Please Don’t Kill the Freshmen
Zoe Trope
Book I should have liked because it was full of elements I love, but didn’t really ever cotton to
The Sisters Brothers
Patrick DeWitt
Best Picture book that had me laughing aloud in the house like a crazy woman.
Chloe and the Lion
Mac Burnett & Adam Rex
Best mystery set in London
Sister
Rosamund Lupton
Most delightful Internet concept to be translated into book form
Dear Photograph
Taylor Jones
Funniest book I read that was written by a feminist
BossyPants
Tina Fey
Funniest book I read by a sleepwalker
also
Book I kept wanting to read aloud to Matt, but managed to restrain myself. Mostly.
Sleepwalk with Me
Mike Birbigla
Best multiple perspective book I read this year
and
Best recommend by Ms. Sara K.
Wonder
R.J. Palacio
Best book to encompass every plot point that doesn’t involve aliens or guns
Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte
Most interesting subject award
The Man who Quit Money
Mark Sundeen
Book I adored as a teenager
Vision Quest
Terry Davis
Best YA book I read this year
and
Best historical fiction book I read this year
and
Best reason to relax the “no more WWII books” rule
Code Name Verity
Elizabeth Wein
Best reimagining of the Peter Pan story
Tiger Lily
Jodi Lynn Anderson
Best overall concept, excellently executed
Every Day
David Levithan
Best book I read set in a small Montana town
The Miseducation of Cameron Post
Emily Danforth
Wootie woot woot! I got a shout out!!!
I love the awards you gave this year. I also like your foray into YA books. That means there are a few more on this list that I have read as well!